Medical Management of a Potentially Toxic Accidental Trialkylamine Ingestion During Spaceflight

Abstract

Despite the significant ingestion there were no adverse clinical symptoms in any of the exposed astronauts; however, the case highlights a simple pitfall in the classification of hardware that ultimately lead to a potentially harmful toxic ingestion among the crewmembers, and the real-time response of medical personnel to ensure crew safety.

An overview of space medicine

“…Water is treated with trialkylamines to reduce iodine content as failure of the water treatment system has permitted contamination of the drinking water. 54 Despite significant ingestion it was without adverse health impact but highlighted the potential…”